Ernie Martinez’s father gave him his first transistor radio early in life and soon after that he not only played organized baseball for the first time, but also attended his first Major League Baseball game.  (New York Mets @ the Los Angeles Dodgers-Seaver vs. Sutton)  Those early moments helped build the foundation for what he wanted to do the rest of his life.

Ernie moved with his family from Pasadena to Escondido, CA, in 1976.  He went on to play four years of baseball for Escondido High School, while studying journalism.  He was soon drafted and signed to a rookie contract with the upstart Mighty 690, currently XX Sports Radio.  “That’s when I really fell in love with sports,” says Martinez.  In 11 years as a sports anchor and reporter at XTRA, he also worked for radio networks such as ESPN, Fox Sports and CBS covering the San Diego Padres, Chargers, Anaheim Mighty Ducks, College Sports, (SDSU, UCLA, USC) the PGA and the WTA.

Since working at XX Sports Radio, Ernie has expanded his talents by doing a weekly baseball show with Cy Young Award winner Randy Jones, as well as doing various other sports shows.  “It’s been a dream come true!” says Martinez.

The highlights of his career include covering the Padres Tony Gwynn for 11 seasons as well as covering the team during the 1998 season and their playoff run in Atlanta and New York.

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